About

My representational paintings are a celebration of color, light and form. The compositions exhibit formal aesthetic elements, and using soft pastels, I use a luminous and vibrant color palette that transform the formal foundation into something exciting and dynamic. My work seeks to evoke the life-affirming beauty inherent in the natural world, and reveal what is extraordinary in the familiar. Ultimately, it’s not the subject matter that interests me, it’s the tone, the gesture, color, light, scale and composition, that continue to absorb and inspire.

My work has been featured at venues including Arcadia Contemporary, New York, NY & Pasadena, CA; ArtHamptons International Art Fair, Bridgehampton, NY; Sirona Fine Art, Hallandale Beach, FL; Arnot Art Museum, Elmira, NY; L’Atelier Berkshires, Great Barrington, MA; Salmagundi Club, New York, NY; National Arts Club, New York, NY; and The South Street Gallery in Greenport, NY. My paintings are held in private collections. I live and work in my home town of Manhattan. Additionally, I joined The Pastel Society of America in 2004, as signature member.

Biography

A family of artists contributed to Gemma’s early interest in art. Her grandmother, mother and father all attended Cooper Union for art. Her mother was a painter and her father, Thomas Di Grazia was a published illustrator and painter. Gemma attended LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and then earned a B.F.A. from Hunter College. She furthered her studies at S.V.A., Parsons, and the Art Students League of New York where she studied under David Leffel and Sherrie McGraw.